New digital publication launched just for kids

The magazine covers tech news, ground-breaking discoveries and innovations, movie review and more

Marco Galluccio

With the fast evolution of technology and the increasing need for immediate response, children are now receiving most of their news and information online rather than in print. Following this trend, OWL Magazine has launched a digital publication for readers aged 9-13.

Founded in 1976, OWL Magazine has quizzes, comics, tech news, interviews, ground-breaking discoveries and innovations as well as book and movie reviews, reader art and advice, contests and more. Now, the OWLconnected eMag will provide kids with the same content in a more user-friendly format.

“We know that our readers are technically savvy; they have smart phones, computers and tablets,” said Angela Keenlyside, Owlkids publisher. “So, we wanted to offer them a digital publication that would complement what they would get in print but engage them in an interactive way.”

The magazine is available on tablet, Mac, and PC. These platforms, along with the intuitive touch navigation, encourage kids to read the magazine in their own way. As they open the app, there is a digital table of contents with pictures and headlines of stories, quizzes, and infographics. There will be pop-ups throughout the articles with visualizations, comics, and videos.

“We knew that making it clear on how to navigate through the eMag was very important, so with the main page, kids can go to their favourite parts first with just one click,” Keenlyside says.

The bi-weekly magazine will provide readers with stories about current affairs and will feature news of the week, an in-depth story, illustrated images, sports and entertainment stories, and a quiz. “With our monthly magazine, we work very far in advance, so if there is a current event or breaking news it is difficult to present that to our readers,” she says. “Now with our eMag and our website owlconnected.com, which gets updated daily, we’re able to publish stories that are timely.”

There is also a special section called the Buzz, which will have reader-generated content. Kids can make a video, artwork, etc. and send it in to be published. They also ask readers for feedback on the magazine. A 90-second animated video will also appear in each issue that highlights an event, news story, or well-known person.

Because of the targeted age group, Keenlyside says they are focusing on providing content that will pique the interest of any kid as well as those with different reading levels.

“We make sure that there are multiple entry points for kids,” she says. “If a child is not a strong reader, they can still learn about the story by reading some of the shorter sections or come in for illustrations and infographics. However, a very strong reader might want to read the more in-depth sections of the story, so we make sure there is something for everyone.”